Vegetation Specialists
Carrot Weed Oenanthe pimpinelloides
Carrot Weed it is also commonly known as Parsley Dropwort. It is native to Europe, the Middle East, and parts of western Asia and North Africa. In New Zealand it is widespread in pasture and on road sides throughout Auckland and Northland.
Carrot Weed has a Parsley like appearance and grows between 30 to 90cm tall. Its flowers are white, growing on the end of long stalks and look similar to a carrot.
This is perennial plant (lives for longer than two years). Growing rapidly in the spring, it flowers in the summer and dies down in autumn, before re growing again the following season. Germination and regrowth in the Auckland and Northland regions can occur during the winter months due to the milder climate.
It is usually found growing on acidic soils and will tolerate both damp and dry conditions.
It reproduces through seed and tubers. The tubers are small and found the ends of the roots. They enable the plant to regenerate if inappropriate control work has been carried out. It is often spread as seed in hay cut and transported from infected paddocks.
This weed is particularly a problem in pasture as it is unpalatable to livestock in the spring once flowering occurs.
Carrot Weed has a Parsley like appearance and grows between 30 to 90cm tall. Its flowers are white, growing on the end of long stalks and look similar to a carrot.
This is perennial plant (lives for longer than two years). Growing rapidly in the spring, it flowers in the summer and dies down in autumn, before re growing again the following season. Germination and regrowth in the Auckland and Northland regions can occur during the winter months due to the milder climate.
It is usually found growing on acidic soils and will tolerate both damp and dry conditions.
It reproduces through seed and tubers. The tubers are small and found the ends of the roots. They enable the plant to regenerate if inappropriate control work has been carried out. It is often spread as seed in hay cut and transported from infected paddocks.
This weed is particularly a problem in pasture as it is unpalatable to livestock in the spring once flowering occurs.
Control
Soil PH and fertility is important as Carrot Weed appears to do well in soils of lower PH. A soil PH of 6.1 to 7 is ideal. We can carry out your soil test for you at no charge for our time. So before investing in expensive fertilisers, that may not be required, give us a call.
Carrot Weed is a difficult plant to control. Spraying the seedling stage in new and established pasture with MCPA (Agritone) and Dicamba during the months of July to August will effectively control it whilst minimising the impact on clover. It is also important remove it before flowering and seed set in the spring.
As clover is susceptible to these chemicals and to ensure good control is achieved of the target species you need to do a couple of things:
1. Ensure the pasture is well grazed.
2. Allow the pasture to flush away for a few days prior to spraying.
This opens the pasture up allowing the chemical to get to the target plant and reduces the amount of leaf area on the clover, minimising damage to this valuable pasture species.
There is no with holding period following spraying but it is advisable to leave stock off for a couple of weeks as once the plants have been sprayed they become more palatable and grazing can reduce the effectiveness of the chemicals.
Application of the above chemicals must be carried out by a suitably qualified and experienced operator. Look for a Registered Chemical Applicator such as Vegetation Specialists to assist.
